It is nice to see pilots with a spine!
gulfnews : More flights cancelled as strike continues to bleed Air India
New Delhi: Air India pilots demanding more pay refused to work for the fifth straight day Sunday, defying a court order to end their strike and forcing the beleaguered national carrier to cancel three-fourths of its scheduled flights.
The airline said the strike that started on Wednesday was now costing it around Rs12 million (Dh1 million) a day.
Air India cancelled all but 40 of its 165 scheduled flights yesterday, leaving thousands more passengers stranded around the country after similar cancellations each day since Wednesday.
It said that while 90 per cent of domestic routes were affected, international flights were still operating between India and the United States, Europe, China and the Middle East. The airline has been hiring chartered flights for some routes.
Last week, the Delhi High Court ordered the 800 striking pilots to call off their action, saying it was "brazen and smacking of sheer arrogance", and launched contempt of court proceedings on Saturday when they refused to go back to work.
Three-pronged demands
The pilots are demanding higher pay, an investigation into alleged mismanagement leading to losses of over Rs160 billion, and removal of Arvind Jadhav as the airline's managing director. The Indian Commercial Pilot Association said on Saturday it had no choice but to continue its strike since neither the government nor Air India's management had invited the pilots for talks.
The airline, however, has threatened to fire the striking pilots. Nine already have been let go and six suspended. Other carriers were reportedly increasing fares as desperate Air India passengers looked for alternatives.
India's once-proud national carrier has been losing about $1 billion a year as it struggles with the legacy of a poorly executed 2007 merger, debt costs, a swollen staff and a toxic gulf between management and powerful unions.
The government extended hundreds of millions in bailout funds last year to help the company weather the global economic slowdown and compete with international rivals.
Internal appeal
Air India has sent a message to all of its staff asking for their help to end a strike by some of its pilots. Members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, representing Air India employees who once worked at Indian Airlines, started the strike on April 27 to demand pay parity with their colleagues.
The "ICPA struck work illegally for pay increase and parity, thus threatening our survival", Air India said in its message to staff. "Risking our airline's survival at this time is criminal." The company said it appealed to staff "to cooperate and to persuade our pilot friends to return to work and discussions — let us start afresh".
— With inputs from*Bloomberg